Is the "Special Relationship" over

[blake]

I wouldnt generalize either. Americans are not particularly brash and noisy anymore than English people are overly reserved and stand offish. You have to live a life among people and societies to really learn anything about them

 

these are wise words. Also you cannot generalise about Americans or indeed anybody else and say they are 'brash and noisy' - which is an archetypal stereotype about Americans that has been doing the rounds in the UK for well over a century. Not only are Americans all colours and creeds under the rainbow, but they differ on a regional basis quite markedly as well. Mid Westerners, are quite different from New Englanders, and so on.

 

in fact Americans stand further apart than just about anybody in social interraction. Further away, than most Brits do. It is only a matter of an inch or two, but it makes all the difference. Americans require more personal space, than most other peoples in the world do. Americans like space. That is why they have big yards, big malls, and big cars. In fact, you could make a case, that Americans are more 'stand offish' than Brits are.

[Harleyman]

these are wise words. Also you cannot generalise about Americans or indeed anybody else and say they are 'brash and noisy' - which is an archetypal stereotype about Americans that has been doing the rounds in the UK for well over a century. Not only are Americans all colours and creeds under the rainbow, but they differ on a regional basis quite markedly as well. Mid Westerners, are quite different from New Englanders, and so on.

 

in fact Americans stand further apart than just about anybody in social interraction. Further away, than most Brits do. It is only a matter of an inch or two, but it makes all the difference. Americans require more personal space, than most other peoples in the world do. Americans like space. That is why they have big yards, big malls, and big cars. In fact, you could make a case, that Americans are more 'stand offish' than Brits are.

 

They like space because they're lucky to have it or some have it. Back east there isnt the space to build hundreds of square miles of sprawling suburbs.New Yorkers are much like people in large European cities. They live in close proximity to each other either in townhouses or apartments Many dont even own a car.

 

Out far west much of the land is uninhabitable, just barren desert but up in the north-west it is very habitable and there's plenty of space.

 

We took a driving trip in July up through Oregon then across Idaho to eastern Montana. Sometimes crossing those states you find you're the only vehicle on the road as far as the eye can see. You definitely get a sense of total isolation until some great big tractor and trailer suddenly roars out of nowhere to remind you that the world hasnt suddenly ended and you're the only people left alive

 

Southern California was a spacious place up until about 3 decades ago when more people moved in and land became developed. The sprawl around Los Angeles has now reached far out into the desert. You can still buy a nice big two story house but they dont give you much land around it anymore.

 

Where I live they're building condominiums and townhouses on every patch of land that's left so it's become something like living back east but they'll all sell like hotcakes and people are adapting to living that way

 

It's a fair bet that 100 years from now the traditional sprawling California ranch style home with plenty of yard around it will be a thing of the past

[blake]

They like space because they're lucky to have it or some have it. Back east there isnt the space to build hundreds of square miles of sprawling suburbs.New Yorkers are much like people in large European cities. They live in close proximity to each other either in townhouses or apartments Many dont even own a car.

 

Out far west much of the land is uninhabitable, just barren desert but up in the north-west it is very habitable and there's plenty of space.

 

We took a driving trip in July up through Oregon then across Idaho to eastern Montana. Sometimes crossing those states you find you're the only vehicle on the road as far as the eye can see. You definitely get a sense of total isolation until some great big tractor and trailer suddenly roars out of nowhere to remind you that the world hasnt suddenly ended and you're the only people left alive

 

Southern California was a spacious place up until about 3 decades ago when more people moved in and land became developed. The sprawl around Los Angeles has now reached far out into the desert. You can still buy a nice big two story house but they dont give you much land around it anymore.

 

Where I live they're building condominiums and townhouses on every patch of land that's left so it's become something like living back east but they'll all sell like hotcakes and people are adapting to living that way

 

It's a fair bet that 100 years from now the traditional sprawling California ranch style home with plenty of yard around it will be a thing of the past

 

all this kind of stuff is endlessly fascinating - proxemics, the social science pioneered by an American guy called Edward T Hall from St Louis. You can see it, just looking at queues. Americans will usually give more space, than somebody in China or India will to their fellow behind or in front of them. And they are less tactile. And then there is all that stuff, about when people immigrate from those kind of countries, to the United States. At first, they make a bit of a nuisance of themselves by standing too close in the queue for comfort, to most 'native born' Americans. But they gradually get it, and increasingly allow more space, and also want it for themselves which they did not want or need, in their home countries before they immigrated.

[buck]

At last the point scoring has stopped... And it looks good. It is fantastic when we can look for similarities rather than differences and be civil instead of rude.

The fact is that we all love our own countries and feel very protective, but that does not preclude us from observing and voicing what we see.

 

You as citizens of the U.S and we as citizens of the U.K have been played, with regard to Syria, and IMO we all should be investigating and sharing information with one another, not defending the actors in this dirty business. 'Our' special relationship should not be broken... 'we' the people, should not allow politicians to divide us......

I am sorry that some people have found my information tedious and somehow threatening because it challenged the status quo... it was never intended as such, but meant to be empowering.

We are all of us sometimes a bit too intense for our own good. It's likely we'd stand next to each other in the pub or taking a youknowhat and chat on about the weather, or the Wednesday or the Redsox or whatever while supping a pint or sipping a dry martini. The trouble with democracy is that we send people into parliament or congress who really shouldn't be there. Then we're stuck with them. But it sure beats the alternatives where talking, like we do in our two countries, could end us up in a concentration camp or worse. I'm glad we were able to talk sensibly to each other.

[Harleyman]

We are all of us sometimes a bit too intense for our own good. It's likely we'd stand next to each other in the pub or taking a youknowhat and chat on about the weather, or the Wednesday or the Redsox or whatever while supping a pint or sipping a dry martini. The trouble with democracy is that we send people into parliament or congress who really shouldn't be there. Then we're stuck with them. But it sure beats the alternatives where talking, like we do in our two countries, could end us up in a concentration camp or worse. I'm glad we were able to talk sensibly to each other.

 

The problem is that the men who have the brains and wisdom we all need are too busy making money or too smart to go into politics

[Mecky]

The problem is that the men who have the brains and wisdom we all need are too busy making money or too smart to go into politics

 

Not sure about that, they go into politics to push through policies to allow them to make even more money. Of course most don't do that personally, it would be too obvious.

[Hillpig]

Not sure about that, they go into politics to push through policies to allow them to make even more money. Of course most don't do that personally, it would be too obvious.

 

Specifically, name one policy that the present UK government has "pushed through" that enables "them" to make more money?

 

What do you mean "don't do that personally"?

 

I do accept that Blairs entire career was one of self aggrandisement.

[bellbo5119]

I really hope it's over look at some similar counties that don't boast a special US relation ship, Norway and Switzerland in particular have a much much better way of life than we do, I went to Switzerland again a few weeks ago and it is booming even comaped to my last visit two years ago.

 

Art.

[buck]

Not sure about that, they go into politics to push through policies to allow them to make even more money. Of course most don't do that personally, it would be too obvious.

They may not do that in Britain, but the lobbyists in America have a lot of politicos in their pocket, and it's not hard to figure out who. A politician who feathers his own nest, and feathers your's at the same time will get your vote.

[Harleyman]

Who really knows what they make. I read a biography of Harry Truman once.

When he left office he was living on what would today be an income of the working poor but Truman was a rare bird in politics,

 

Many former Presidents make a nice pile of money on the lecture circuits and having their memoirs published

 

---------- Post added 07-09-2013 at 18:47 ----------

 

They may not do that in Britain, but the lobbyists in America have a lot of politicos in their pocket, and it's not hard to figure out who. A politician who feathers his own nest, and feathers your's at the same time will get your vote.

 

Never understood and never will why lobbying is even allowed. I see it as a form of high flying corruption. Obama said something about getting the Senate and Congress to pass a bill making it against the law but nothing as far as I know has been done so far.

 

When the founding fathers talked of "We the people' they meant all the people and it didn't include some of the people with their own special little agendas